In 2018, a national study found that 56% of Americans who entered their fifties with stable employment were laid off or pushed out; only 10% ever recouped financially. According to AARP, 2/3 of people age 45 and older have either experienced or witnessed age discrimination in the workplace.
Janine Vanderburg
This is no surprise to Coloradans aged age 50 and over about age discrimination. Since starting Changing the Narrative, we’ve repeatedly heard: “That ageism that you’re talking about? It has happened to my dad, my partner, to me.” A study we conducted this summer bears out this personal testimony: Nearly 1/3 of Coloradans age 50+ reported that they had experienced age discrimination.
This workplace discrimination has negative impacts:
1. For older adults, our income is reduced dramatically when we are nearing retirement, making us less likely to meet our retirement savings goals.
2. Employers lose the benefits of intergenerational workforces, including greater creativity and problem-solving, increased productivity and profitability.
3. The economy suffers. Workplace age discrimination costs the U.S. economy $850 billion annually per a recent AARP survey.
Here are three things we can do:
1. All of us can make the business case for hiring, training, and retaining older workers, using the research found on our website.
2. We can advocate for workforce development centers to have employment and training programs tailored to older workers.
3. We can argue for stronger laws, including eliminating high school graduation dates on job applications, and strengthening penalties for age discrimination. It’s shocking that currently it is illegal to ask someone their age, but not their high school graduation date.
Together we can change this, creating a climate in which older job seekers, local employers and our overall economy can thrive. See these local webinar events on aging at https://www.coloradoseniorlobby.org/older-coloradans-week-2021/.
Janine Vanderburg leads Changing the Narrative. Learn more about age-friendly business practices at: https://changingthenarrativeco.org/age-friendly-intergenerational-workplaces-2/.